1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to intravascular devices for implantation within a vessel of the body, and more particularly to a stent device which may be used in the treatment of blood vessel disorders. More specifically, the intravascular device may take the form of an aneurysm cover to be used in the treatment of aneurysms which occur in the brain.
2. Description of the Prior Art
On a worldwide basis, nearly one million balloon angioplasties were performed in 1997 to treat vascular disease, including blood vessels clogged or narrowed by a lesion or stenosis. The objective of this procedure is to increase the inner diameter or cross-sectional area of the vessel passage, or lumen, through which blood flows.
Another serious vascular defect is an area of weakened vessel wall that causes a bulge, or bubble, to protrude out in a radial direction from the vessel. This type of defect is called an aneurysm. If untreated, the aneurysm may continue expanding until it bursts thereby causing hemorrhaging from the vessel.
In an effort to prevent restenosis or treat an aneurysm without requiring surgery, short flexible cylinders or scaffolds, made of metal or polymers, are often placed into a vessel to maintain or improve blood flow. Referred to as stents, various types of these devices are widely used for reinforcing diseased blood vessels, for opening occluded blood vessels, and for defining an internal lumen to relieve pressure in an aneurysm. The stents allow blood to flow through the vessels at an improved rate while providing the desired lumen opening or structural integrity lost by the damaged vessels. Some stents are expanded to the proper size by inflating a balloon catheter, referred to as xe2x80x9cballoon expandablexe2x80x9d stents, while others are designed to elastically resist compression in a xe2x80x9cself-expandingxe2x80x9d manner.
Balloon expandable stents and self-expanding stents are generally delivered in a cylindrical form, crimped to a smaller diameter and are placed within a vessel using a catheter-based delivery system. When positioned at a desired site within a vessel, these devices are expanded by a balloon, or allowed to xe2x80x9cself-expand,xe2x80x9d to the desired diameter.
One such stent for treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,267,783 to Robert P. Letendre, et al. This patent discloses a self-expanding stent which may be used in the treatment of aortic aneurysms. This device may be easily recaptured after placement and repositioned to a new position within the vessel. This patent, assigned to a related company, is subsequently referred to and the disclosure therein is incorporated and made a part of the subject patent application.
Another stent aneurysm treatment device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,361,558, assigned to the same assignee as the present application. This patent discloses vasculature stents of various configurations which may be used as aneurysm covers for occluding, or partially occluding, aneurysms located at various positions along the blood vessels.
There is a need for an improved stent which may be easily delivered to a vasculature site through a very small catheter, is capable of being repositioned and which exhibits sufficient structural integrity and resilience under radial compressive forces. More particularly, there is a need for such a stent that, in its compressed state prior to delivery of the stent, has a diameter which is extremely small. Such a stent could be placed in a very small microcatheter for subsequent positioning within a vessel of the human brain. Obviously, such vessels are extremely small and very tortuous throughout their length.
In accordance with the one aspect of the present invention, there is a provided a self-expanding stent device which includes a small diameter skeletal tubular member. The skeletal tubular member is comprises of a plurality of cells which are formed by a plurality of generally undulating (sinusoidal) members and a plurality of struts. The undulating members are generally parallel with the longitudinal axis of the tubular member and are generally parallel to each other. In addition, the undulating members have a plurality of peaks. The undulating members and struts are interconnected and have a repeating pattern in which the proximal ends of the struts are attached to the peaks of the undulating members, and the distal ends of the struts are attached to the peaks of adjacent undulating members. Preferably, the struts are positioned in rows and comprise single-strand, unbranched struts, with struts in each row extending in the same direction, and struts in adjacent rows extending transversely to each other.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the skeletal tubular member has a very small compressed diameter for delivery within a vessel and a normally biased expanded diameter for retaining the stent against the walls of the vessel. As the tubular member is compressed to its small diameter, the peaks of the undulating members pull upon the proximal end of the struts and the distal ends of the struts pull upon peaks of adjacent undulating members thereby causing the cells of the tubular members to collapse and xe2x80x9cnestxe2x80x9d together. This nesting causes the skeletal tubular member to retain a very small diameter.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the skeletal tubular member includes at least two proximal legs which extend generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the tubular member and are attached to the proximal end of the tubular member. At least one of the proximal legs includes a T-shaped or I-shaped attachment flange.
In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention, the proximal legs are biased outwardly from the longitudinal axis of the tubular member. The proximal legs preferably include a radiopaque marker for positioning the stent within a vessel.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the tubular member includes at least one distal leg which extends generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the tubular member and is attached to the distal end of the tubular member. The distal leg preferably includes a radiopaque marker for locating the distal end of the stent as the stent is placed in a vessel.
In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a self-expanding stent device which includes a small diameter skeletal tubular member which is formed with a thin wall. The wall of the tubular member includes a plurality of cells which are formed by a plurality of sinusoidal members and a plurality of struts. The sinusoidal members are generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the tubular member and are generally parallel to each other. Each sinusoidal member has a plurality of positive peaks and negative peaks. The sinusoidal members and the struts are interconnected and have a repeating pattern in which each strut connects a positive peak of a sinusoidal member with a negative peak of an adjacent sinusoidal member.
In accordance with still anther aspect of the present invention, the skeletal tubular member has a very small compressed diameter for delivery within a vessel and a normally biased expanded diameter for retaining the stent device against the walls of a vessel. As the tubular member is compressed to its small diameter, the positive peaks of the sinusoidal members pull the struts, and the struts pull the negative peaks of adjacent sinusoidal members thereby causing the cells of the tubular member to collapse with the result that the sinusoidal members xe2x80x9cnestxe2x80x9d together with adjacent sinusoidal members in order to provide a very small diameter stent device.
In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention, a self-expanding aneurysm cover is provided which when placed across an aneurysm of a blood vessel reduces, or obstructs, the flow of blood between the aneurysm and its related blood vessel. The aneurysm cover includes a small diameter skeletal tubular member which is comprised of a plurality of cells which are formed by a plurality of generally undulating members and a plurality of struts. The undulating members are generally parallel with the longitudinal axis of the tubular member and are generally parallel to each other. In addition, the undulating members have a plurality of peaks. The undulating members and struts are interconnected and have a repeating pattern in which the proximal ends of the struts are attached to the peaks of the undulating members and the distal end of the struts are attached to the peaks of adjacent undulating members.
These and other aspects of the present invention and the advantages thereof will be more clearly understood from the foregoing description in drawings of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.